Omicron Detected In Allegheny County

PITTSBURGH, PA — Allegheny County Health Department officials say the omicron variant has been detected here and they anticipate an explosion in cases in the near future.

While there have been no confirmed cases of individuals suffering from the coronavirus strain, health department director Dr. Debra Bogen said small of amounts of the variant have been found in wastewater samples. Bogen predicts the first confirmed cases of the variant likely are just days away.

"I expect we will see a rapid rise in omicron variant in our county in the coming days to weeks," Bogen said at a briefing on Wednesday.

That prediction was not unexpected as omicron now is the most common form of the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bogen said the best ways to slow the spread remain vaccinations and masks. She noted that 18 people in the county between the ages of 30 to 59 have died of the virus this month; all were unvaccinated.

“These deaths are as tragic as they are unnecessary and premature, and it breaks my heart,” she said.

See the entire briefing here:

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